“What?” Ge Mei challenged. “Are you saying you’re allowed to go looking for Zhixiong, but Zhixiong isn't allowed to come looking for you?”

Zhixiong replied, “That’s not what I meant, Ge Mei. It’s already past midnight. It’s so late, is something urgent the matter?”

Ge Mei didn't answer Zhixiong, but instead asked, “Big Brother Zhixiong, are you and Big Brother Zhang in Sanya, Hainan?”

Zhixiong asked, surprised, “How did you know?”

Ge Mei explained, “Zhixiong went to Kunming looking for you at noon today, but you weren’t home. A big brother named Liu was asleep at your place then. When he heard Zhixiong say Zhixiong was looking for Ge Mei, he told Zhixiong that you two had gone to Sanya. Afterwards, Zhixiong bought a ticket and followed.”

Zhixiong was startled to hear this—this girl had actually come all the way to Hainan? He immediately said to her, “Where are you? Zhixiong will come get you now. Why didn't you call Zhixiong before you went to Kunming to find me?”

Ge Mei stammered, “Zhixiong… Zhixiong wanted to give you a surprise. Who knew that as soon as I got there, you’d all have run off to Hainan. I’m at the entrance to Luhuitou Park.”

Zhixiong was torn between laughter and tears, quickly saying, “Wait there for Zhixiong, I’m coming to pick you up right now.”

With that, Zhixiong hung up the phone, hastily threw on his clothes, and rushed out. As the taxi pulled up to the entrance of Luhuitou Park, Zhixiong spotted a slight figure standing quietly there—it was Ge Mei. This time, she wasn’t wearing her ethnic attire; instead, she was dressed in plain, modern clothes. Though the outfit was unremarkable, it looked stunning on her. Previously, Zhixiong had only pictured her as a beautiful minority girl, so seeing her in contemporary dress gave him a startlingly fresh impression.

Zhixiong rolled down the car window and waved toward Ge Mei ahead. Seeing that it was Zhixiong, Ge Mei immediately walked over. As soon as they met eyes, she playfully stuck out her tongue at him. “Big Brother Zhixiong, I’m so sorry for showing up unannounced to find you all.” Zhixiong said, “Let’s not talk about that now. Get in.”

Saying that, Zhixiong opened the door and let Ge Mei sit inside. As Ge Mei settled in next to him, a faint, delicate fragrance drifted into Zhixiong’s nose. Smelling it instantly brought back memories of their intimate contact in the Demon Tower, causing his mind to momentarily drift again. Ge Mei, feeling Zhixiong staring, blushed slightly and nudged him. Zhixiong snapped back to attention and quickly told the driver, “Master, please take us back to the hotel we were at before.”

On the way, Zhixiong asked Ge Mei why she had traveled so far to follow them. She said it was her Master’s instruction. Ever since she emerged from the Demon Tower, her Master had been speaking vaguely about fate and destiny. At first, when Zhixiong sought out the pair, her Master was hesitant about meeting them. It wasn't until that morning that her Master suddenly told her to find Zhixiong, though she didn’t know the reason. Her Master only said that from now on, she was to follow Zhixiong through the Four Great Forbidden Zones; if she couldn't pass this trial in this life, she wouldn't have another chance in the next.

Zhixiong felt lost in the muddle of it all, but it only strengthened his conviction that Ge Mei’s Master knew some secret. Thinking this, Zhixiong immediately asked Ge Mei, “Can Zhixiong meet your Master?”

Ge Mei shook her head, replying, “Master said that when the time is right, he will meet you naturally.”

Zhixiong shrugged, musing inwardly about why the matter of the Four Great Forbidden Zones had fallen to him. He had initially thought he was merely being threatened by the 'Heavenly Punishment,' but now it seemed entangled with so many things—fate, karmic connections, trials upon trials. Zhixiong got a headache just hearing those words now.

Back at the hotel, Zhixiong quickly booked a ticket for Ge Mei; thankfully, seats were still available. Afterward, Zhixiong took Ge Mei to the counter to request a room, only to be told by the hostess that the last room had just been taken. Zhixiong turned to Ge Mei and said, “Our room has two beds. If you don’t mind, you can take one, and Zhixiong and Lu Zong can share the other.”

Ge Mei didn't mind at all and nodded, saying, “Okay.”

Entering the room with Ge Mei, they found Lu Zong sleeping soundly. He was sprawled out like a dead pig, limbs flung wide, snoring thunderously. His mouth occasionally opened and closed, as if chewing on something. He looked utterly blissful in his sleep. Ge Mei burst out laughing at Lu Zong’s sleeping posture, saying, “Big Brother Zhang is actually quite cute when he sleeps.”

Zhixiong shrugged, “Don’t let his usual liveliness fool you; this fellow is genuinely exhausted from worrying about Zhixiong’s affairs.”

Ge Mei nodded, saying, “It must be rare these days to find someone as loyal and righteous as Big Brother Zhang, right?”

Looking at the pig-like Lu Zong, Zhixiong also nodded, “He is Zhixiong’s good brother for life!”

Zhixiong added, “Ge Mei, it’s getting late. You should go to bed.”

With that, Zhixiong moved to pull Lu Zong over to clear a space for himself, when Ge Mei suddenly spoke up, “Big Brother Zhixiong, let’s not disturb Big Brother Zhang; let him sleep well. You sleep on this side with me.”

Zhixiong nearly choked on his saliva hearing that. Ge Mei continued, “It’s fine. If Zhixiong doesn't mind, why should you?”

Zhixiong shrugged, murmuring, “Uh… alright then.”

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, Zhixiong was sleeping soundly when he suddenly felt a pillow smack him on the head. He rubbed his eyes and sat up to see Lu Zong staring at him with a look of furious indignation. Zhixiong shrugged and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Lu Zong grumbled furiously, “You good-for-nothing Zhixiong, calling for a woman while Zhixiong was asleep!”

Lu Zong pointed next to Zhixiong. Zhixiong looked and immediately understood why Lu Zong was angry. He quickly countered, “Is Zhixiong that kind of person? Zhixiong has always been upright and self-disciplined.” Zhixiong then pulled back the blanket covering Ge Mei and added, “See who this is?”

Lu Zong craned his neck to look, and his eyeballs nearly popped out. He rubbed his eyes, then scratched his head, exclaiming, “Aiya! Aiyayayayayaya! Isn't Zhixiong dreaming? How come this girl ended up in your bed the moment Zhixiong woke up? Are you two developing too fast?”

Zhixiong lightly tapped Lu Zong’s head, saying, “What nonsense are you spouting? Her Master sent her to join us tomb-raiding. When she got to Sanya last night, there were no rooms left. Zhixiong was going to sleep with you, but you hogged the entire bed! The poor girl was kind enough not to disturb you, so she slept on a bed with Zhixiong!”

But Lu Zong waved his hand dismissively. “Alright, alright, stop with the excuses, Zhixiong. Explanations are just cover-ups. Hehe, actually, this girl is quite nice. Zhixiong thinks you shouldn't cling to your bachelor status anymore.”

Just as Zhixiong raised his hand to tap him again, Lu Zong burst out laughing and ran off.

The three of us packed our luggage and rushed to the airport, boarding a flight to Beijing. Since there was no direct route from Hainan to Ürümqi, we had to transfer in Beijing. After about three and a half hours, we arrived in Beijing. We grabbed a quick lunch at the airport before continuing our flight to Ürümqi. Including the layover and the four-hour flight, we finally reached Diwopu Airport in Ürümqi a little after ten that night.

After spending one night in Ürümqi, we took a car the next day to Fukang City. Fukang City borders the eastern district of Ürümqi and is where the Bogda Peak of the Tianshan Mountains is located—that’s where the Lama Zhabacuo, introduced by Elder Kongdu, lives. Fukang City is a place with a long history, rich in both produce and resources, and was an important relay station on the ancient Silk Road. It boasts not only Bogda Peak, the third highest in the Tianshan range, but also Tianchi (Heavenly Lake) and the Gurbantünggüt Desert—it’s a city packed with tourist attractions.

Bogda Peak rises to 5,445 meters, its perpetual snows never melting. People also call this peak the Sea of Snow. Legend has it that Tianchi, located halfway up Bogda Peak, was the ancient Yaochi, where the Queen Mother of the West gathered the immortals for the Peach Banquet. The water in Tianchi is formed from the meltwater of centuries of snow and ice; the lake surface is clear and transparent, like a flawless piece of jade, resembling a fairyland on earth. Even while still on the road, we could see the towering silhouette of Bogda Peak in the distance. She stood like a great deity from ancient times, steadfast on this land for millennia. All three of us were captivated by the magnificent peak, staring at it intently along the way.

Finally reaching the foot of the mountain, we got out of the car and looked up at the sacred peak from below. Lu Zong stared upwards, almost drooling. After straining his eyes, he rubbed them and said, “Aiya, I’ve heard about this place for ages but never had the chance to visit. Zhixiong, I propose that after we meet that Lama, we take a couple of days to properly explore here.”

Ge Mei chimed in, “Great, great! This snow mountain is truly beautiful! We should definitely go see Tianchi then!” Zhixiong told them, “Let’s find the Lama first. If we get what we need, having fun afterwards won't be an issue.”

Lu Zong then said, “Zhixiong, that old monk said the Lama is at the foot of this snow mountain, but this area is huge. Where are we supposed to start looking?”

Zhixiong looked around, instantly realizing the problem. We hadn’t come following a standard climbing route; if we took those paths, we’d end up at Tianchi, which wasn't exactly the base.

However, all around us was desolate wilderness, with only a few vultures occasionally circling overhead. Zhixiong found a patch of grass, sat down, and began pondering how to locate the Lama. At that moment, he started secretly regretting not asking Elder Kongdu for more specific directions. In this situation, where did one even begin to search?

Lu Zong and Ge Mei came over and sat down too. Zhixiong took a sip of water and told them, “Zhixiong thinks that since the Lama knows what we want to know, he must not be an ordinary person. Therefore, his residence must be very hidden, unknown to outsiders.”

Ge Mei sighed, “Then where are we supposed to look?”

Zhixiong lowered his head to continue thinking. Suddenly, we heard a loud bang from a distance. Zhixiong was startled; the sound was undeniably a gunshot!

Lu Zong recognized it immediately and exclaimed to Zhixiong, “Zhixiong, that’s gunfire!”

Zhixiong nodded, then motioned for the others to head toward the source of the sound. Although the place was deserted, someone dared to fire a gun in broad daylight—they were incredibly bold. We moved forward quietly, rounding a valley entrance, and immediately saw a person lying on the ground ahead, their surroundings stained bright red.

Zhixiong checked to see no one else was around, then turned back to the pair. “It looks like that person was shot. The killer must have fled. Come on, let’s go take a look.”